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Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

cnbc.com

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Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#141

Post by komali2 »

freehunter wrote: post #112
ilikehurdles wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconding this. Yelp reviews have their problems but at least there's always content in the review and I can validate some of the reviewer's reputation if they're being suspiciously positive/negative in their review. Most google ratings I see have very few reviews behind them, and most of them are under a sentence long.

Someone on Google reviewed my local cemetery. One star rating, because it made them sad to drive past it. Why even allow reviews on a cemetery?!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pacific+Ocean/@-0.1930911,...

Google Reviews of the Pacific Ocean.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#142

Post by barking »

Scoundreller wrote: post #102
makecheck wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobile browsers should differentiate the style of links with URLs that resolve to apps. I am tired of tapping links expecting to remain in Safari and having useless “open in app?” prompts instead. I’m not IN an app, I’m in a browser; I want to use the browser. And when cancelling the prompt gets you nothing, it really feels like Yelp is screaming “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”.

Reddit keeps asking me if I want to download their app or Open in Safari... regardless of which browser I’m using. Not every iOS user is using Safari!!!!

They prompt you endlessly on Android as well with a huge "CONTINUE" button to install their app versus a tiny "or go to the mobile site" link to stay in the browser with just the last 2 words being the hyperlink. This annoying choice takes up fully 1/3 of the screen.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#143

Post by giobox »

Upvoter33 wrote: post #35
stephencoyner wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google maps reviews is just as good if not better in some ways IMO. That's what I use as an alternative.

This is really really not true. I did a local comparison any Google map reviews were REALLY REALLY bad whereas Yelp knew what the good restaurants were. Not even close, at least in my area.

How useful yelp is varies enormously if you travel. In the U.K., as an example, Yelp can feel like a wasteland - often little or no reviews, and it has nothing like the mindshare it enjoys in the US. As a result many businesses do little or nothing to keep the information on their Yelp page accurate, it’s barely even on their radar. In the US one can often use Yelp almost as a verb in a conversation (“let me Yelp us somewhere for lunch...”), this is met with blank stares in much of Europe in my experience.

The lack of good data on Yelp in the U.K. has indirectly hurt other players there too, when Apple maps first launched business location information was largely drawn from Yelp, which basically seeded Apple maps with very bad information. Locations were wrong, many businesses that simply didn’t exist anymore would appear. Granted it’s been years since I last checked, but in the first few years of Apple map’s operation it was a pretty significant issue. This methodology worked great in Cupertino I guess...

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#145

Post by prepend »

stephencoyner wrote: post #20
faitswulff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you use instead?

Google maps reviews is just as good if not better in some ways IMO. That's what I use as an alternative.

Google maps does not show all entries. I stopped trying because restaurants would show or not show based on zoom and other factors unknown to me. It’s not rating or ads.

It’s really frustrating as sometimes searching for “Mexican restaurant” won’t include all Mexican restaurants in the map area. And will include random weird stuff. And it won’t show the top items.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#146

Post by Scoundreller »

prepend wrote: post #137
untog wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, iOS offers no capability to list the browsers a user has installed on their phone. So they have to assume Safari, which is a fair assumption for 90% of users, I imagine.

To be fair, asking this for every single session ignoring my answer that has been the same the past 1000 times makes it a stupid, anti-user action.

I dearly hope my bank raises a flag if I decide to choose a language other than English on the ATM. I’ve only chosen it 9134 times in a row.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#147

Post by tomnipotent »

Scoundreller wrote: post #102
makecheck wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobile browsers should differentiate the style of links with URLs that resolve to apps. I am tired of tapping links expecting to remain in Safari and having useless “open in app?” prompts instead. I’m not IN an app, I’m in a browser; I want to use the browser. And when cancelling the prompt gets you nothing, it really feels like Yelp is screaming “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”.

Reddit keeps asking me if I want to download their app or Open in Safari... regardless of which browser I’m using. Not every iOS user is using Safari!!!!

Technically everyone on iOS is using Safari - Firefox, Chrome, and Edge all use the same rendering engine.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#148

Post by radicalbyte »

Scoundreller wrote: post #134
makecheck wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobile browsers should differentiate the style of links with URLs that resolve to apps. I am tired of tapping links expecting to remain in Safari and having useless “open in app?” prompts instead. I’m not IN an app, I’m in a browser; I want to use the browser. And when cancelling the prompt gets you nothing, it really feels like Yelp is screaming “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”.

My guess is that it’s harder to block ads on an app. And apps can track more details about you, yielding more revenue (or potential revenue to an acquirer). Investors probably ascribe more value to apps-based services than web-based.

They want your contact list, location, email inbox etc etc, I assume.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#149

Post by prepend »

Glyptodon wrote: post #46
faitswulff wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you use instead?

I don't know if this is accurate, but I have the sense that Trip Advisor is kind of taking over the space, at least for food and cultural stuff.

Trip advisor is turning into the experts exchange of reviews. Great seo, not useful material.

I was recently trying to find the best fish restaurant in Key West and TripAdvisor was all over results with the same stupid results.

Re: Yelp craters 30% as advertisers abandon the site

#150

Post by jimmy1 »

mlrtime wrote: post #9

I don't have any sympathy for a site that purposely cripples the web mobile site to force you to install their app. They lock you out of pictures after around 20 so you have to go to desktop or install their crappy app. Yelp will not be missed.

Unfortunately, Yelp's dead corpse will be drug around a little bit longer because of Apple Map's dependency on it.
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